The identity of the one who's awake all night on a thursday, and whatever Susato and him spoke about that made Zieks reconsider Yukio as a suspect.
[He smiles thinly. He has some guesses but... Oh, hell, might as well share with her.]
Between you and me? I'm pretty sure the one in question is Susato herself. But I think he's got a few deals going with a few people, our Lord Voldemort.
[He takes a sip of his own mead, it's tasty and hot.]
I thought much the same, but when I asked her about it after the trial, she said she wasn't. 'Tis possible she wasn't telling me the truth, however.
[His comment on van Zieks raises another question, but she'll hold onto that for a moment. Because--]
I learned a little of roles this week myself. I know not how many there are or who fills them, but I was told that if one's identity is shared amongst too many of us, there are... consequences. Which would certainly explain van Zieks' reticence in telling us who they were. And why Susato was not honest with me, if she is truly awake on Thursday nights.
[HMMM...]
But to answer your question, I think so. After we found her blade, Susato apologized for disappearing earlier in the evening.
can't believe this pc started with spike asking for gossip and turned into detective-ing
That's a start, at least. You'll be alright, she's smart and you're a catch, so she'd be pretty mad if she let you go.
She seems real guilty about something in particular. Probably the fact that she survived and Rex didn't, but... [He scratches his chin with a deep frown.]
I don't know. I've been trying to go through a checklist of who'd potentially do a murder this way. So far, it's Yukio, Reze, maybe Flat... I'd have thought Nero before the trial, but now I'm not so sure on that one. I don't think Susato killing someone, especially after being so injured, really tracks with her behaviour so far but she's pretty adamant that my read on her's wrong so. [He shrugs.] Having said that...
I do think she'd cover up for someone, for a couple of potential reasons. You think that might be what's going on? [Is this the root of your lesbian drama, Susato covering up someone else's murder.]
[Dammit Spike you can't just say these things--Alisaie almost chokes on her mead, slamming her mug down to the table and coughing. DON'T SAY STUFF LIKE THAT YOU'RE EMBARRASSING HER YOURSELF GODS
But she's going to just. Completely ignore that little bit, thanks, let's move on and pretend it was never said, she can derail this because--
Well. It's almost a little difficult to say aloud.]
...I've no idea if I'm correct, but I can't help but wonder if she was responsible for Rex's death. It would explain her insistence on Yukio's innocence, for one thing, and we both know she's clever enough to have thought of it. It would also explain her erratic behavior since we found her Saturday...
But I don't know why she would have been in the storage room, were that the case. The only feasible explanation is that a third party removed Rex from the storage room and used the trap she'd set up against her, but that relies on far too many unknowns for my liking.
... [First of all, he will not apologize. Second of all, he's a little surprised, because it's not like he hadn't thought about the possibility, he just assumed it might be a dicier topic.] Yeah, it seems at least like she can't have been working alone to me.
The plan she's smart enough for, probably could be ruthless enough for as well, and she did spend a lot of time derailing us by shooting down theories that could lead to us narrowing the search. But it doesn't seem like a particularly clever move to pull off this intricate scheme on her own right after being so thoroughly beat to shit.
But whether it's her plan or not, it makes sense to me that they'd want to leave her at the scene, 'cuz then she could do a proper cleanup while we're all at the trial.
But for whatever reason she'd be left there, I think she'd have to have an accomplice. [The amount of people who would cooperate with Susato on a murder is high. But...] Might seem biased when I say this, but honestly, I'd guess Reze. Not 'cuz of whatever problem she's got with me, but just she's the type of manipulative clever that would pull off a scheme like this, and I think Rex would be one of the more likely picks for a victim if she were to kill him.
[Ask her about the girls she's loved sometime, Spike. Messy lesbian drama is kind of her thing.]
I'm not certain it makes sense for her to have had an accomplice. Susato had a large knot on the back of her head from being hit; I noticed that myself after the trial. An accomplice wouldn't have hit her so hard as to have drawn blood, would they...?
[They're getting into the weeds--so Alisaie changes her attention to something else he'd said.]
Tell me more about why you think Reze may have done it. Do you think she would have picked Rex simply because he'd be likely to be taken in by her flirting?
[You and Buffy should talk in that case. Compare messy sapphic drama stories.]
Depends on the accomplice, and how important the plan was. They're already putting their lives on the line, some head trauma's not gonna make much of a difference.
[He'd have done it if someone he was really loyal to (Buffy, Alisaie, Kaeya) asked.]
But yeah. I think she could have pulled the whole damsel in distress routine she does, since the victim and the killers are all awake, she probably could have fooled him into believing she was another potential victim. Girl makes a big show of being a bit of an airhead, but there's calculation behind it. That being said, she curls up her nose at gore. So this kind of plan's perfect for that kind of killer.
Not to mention, if that girl's really a teenager and not a demon in disguise, I'll eat my entire sodding foot.
I find her a difficult person to be certain of. When we had the altercation with her choker... [Here's your gossip, Spike. Alisaie isn't embarrassed to say it, but she's not looking directly at him either.] After refusing to remove it, she invited me to examine the skin beneath her choker via tactile means, placing us in close contact. Halfway through, she took my wrist to stop me from continuing the examination and suggested that were I to drop the topic for the time being, she would explain it to me later.
[It was some damn overt flirting.]
I thought it manipulative at the time, and I still find it passing strange now. But that doesn't make her a demon.
[Which doesn't mean she doesn't believe in what he's saying, not one bit. Alisaie's not rejecting it; she's just bemused by the idea.]
I'm pretty sure that was manipulation, to some extent. Probably would have given an explanation of sorts later, but maybe not the full extent. Batting her eyelashes and offering affection in return for you keeping her secret from being outed to everyone in the room.
When I said the collar might kill her, I was mostly guessing, but it's a popular fairy tale on Earth, and demons – non vampiric ones anyway – love their bloody fairy tales. Girl wears a ribbon around her neck, boy falls for her, she refuses to answer any questions about the ribbon even as they fall deeper in love and marry, so one day he gets curious and pulls the ribbon to see what's underneath.
And her head comes clean off.
[He takes a big sip of the mead before putting the cup down and resting his chin in his hand, humming in contemplation.]
So it's a few things, I guess. She takes to manipulation like a second skin, to the point where I don't think it's even entirely false. Similar thing happened while we were working together in the bookshop, where she was all fragile and helpless, even hiding behind me, and then when I say as much that's when she gets all cold and angry and lifeless. When I nearly got scapegoated a couple weeks ago, she hid behind Zieks when I said she wasn't human and it'd be as simple as removing her ribbon to prove it, and she was entirely distraught before he was in front of her, and then she just had this glassy stare pointed at me.
I guarantee you, you accuse an actual human of being a demon, their reaction isn't going to be like hers was. My read on her is that she's something not human, be it demon or ghost or banshee or even robot, and she's wearing the appearance of a teenage girl. But she'd really like to keep living the lie, and is probably deathly afraid of what'll happen if that's taken from her. Which I do understand, honestly.
[Hope you enjoyed psych analysis with Professor Spike.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[He smiles thinly. He has some guesses but... Oh, hell, might as well share with her.]
Between you and me? I'm pretty sure the one in question is Susato herself. But I think he's got a few deals going with a few people, our Lord Voldemort.
[He takes a sip of his own mead, it's tasty and hot.]
So, you two good?
no subject
I thought much the same, but when I asked her about it after the trial, she said she wasn't. 'Tis possible she wasn't telling me the truth, however.
[His comment on van Zieks raises another question, but she'll hold onto that for a moment. Because--]
I learned a little of roles this week myself. I know not how many there are or who fills them, but I was told that if one's identity is shared amongst too many of us, there are... consequences. Which would certainly explain van Zieks' reticence in telling us who they were. And why Susato was not honest with me, if she is truly awake on Thursday nights.
[HMMM...]
But to answer your question, I think so. After we found her blade, Susato apologized for disappearing earlier in the evening.
can't believe this pc started with spike asking for gossip and turned into detective-ing
She seems real guilty about something in particular. Probably the fact that she survived and Rex didn't, but... [He scratches his chin with a deep frown.]
I don't know. I've been trying to go through a checklist of who'd potentially do a murder this way. So far, it's Yukio, Reze, maybe Flat... I'd have thought Nero before the trial, but now I'm not so sure on that one. I don't think Susato killing someone, especially after being so injured, really tracks with her behaviour so far but she's pretty adamant that my read on her's wrong so. [He shrugs.] Having said that...
I do think she'd cover up for someone, for a couple of potential reasons. You think that might be what's going on? [Is this the root of your lesbian drama, Susato covering up someone else's murder.]
HONESTLY THO LMAO i wasn't expecting it
HERYOURSELF GODSBut she's going to just. Completely ignore that little bit, thanks, let's move on and pretend it was never said, she can derail this because--
Well. It's almost a little difficult to say aloud.]
...I've no idea if I'm correct, but I can't help but wonder if she was responsible for Rex's death. It would explain her insistence on Yukio's innocence, for one thing, and we both know she's clever enough to have thought of it. It would also explain her erratic behavior since we found her Saturday...
But I don't know why she would have been in the storage room, were that the case. The only feasible explanation is that a third party removed Rex from the storage room and used the trap she'd set up against her, but that relies on far too many unknowns for my liking.
no subject
The plan she's smart enough for, probably could be ruthless enough for as well, and she did spend a lot of time derailing us by shooting down theories that could lead to us narrowing the search. But it doesn't seem like a particularly clever move to pull off this intricate scheme on her own right after being so thoroughly beat to shit.
But whether it's her plan or not, it makes sense to me that they'd want to leave her at the scene, 'cuz then she could do a proper cleanup while we're all at the trial.
But for whatever reason she'd be left there, I think she'd have to have an accomplice. [The amount of people who would cooperate with Susato on a murder is high. But...] Might seem biased when I say this, but honestly, I'd guess Reze. Not 'cuz of whatever problem she's got with me, but just she's the type of manipulative clever that would pull off a scheme like this, and I think Rex would be one of the more likely picks for a victim if she were to kill him.
no subject
I'm not certain it makes sense for her to have had an accomplice. Susato had a large knot on the back of her head from being hit; I noticed that myself after the trial. An accomplice wouldn't have hit her so hard as to have drawn blood, would they...?
[They're getting into the weeds--so Alisaie changes her attention to something else he'd said.]
Tell me more about why you think Reze may have done it. Do you think she would have picked Rex simply because he'd be likely to be taken in by her flirting?
no subject
Depends on the accomplice, and how important the plan was. They're already putting their lives on the line, some head trauma's not gonna make much of a difference.
[He'd have done it if someone he was really loyal to (Buffy, Alisaie, Kaeya) asked.]
But yeah. I think she could have pulled the whole damsel in distress routine she does, since the victim and the killers are all awake, she probably could have fooled him into believing she was another potential victim. Girl makes a big show of being a bit of an airhead, but there's calculation behind it. That being said, she curls up her nose at gore. So this kind of plan's perfect for that kind of killer.
Not to mention, if that girl's really a teenager and not a demon in disguise, I'll eat my entire sodding foot.
no subject
[It was some damn overt flirting.]
I thought it manipulative at the time, and I still find it passing strange now. But that doesn't make her a demon.
[Which doesn't mean she doesn't believe in what he's saying, not one bit. Alisaie's not rejecting it; she's just bemused by the idea.]
What is it that suggests to you that she is?
no subject
When I said the collar might kill her, I was mostly guessing, but it's a popular fairy tale on Earth, and demons – non vampiric ones anyway – love their bloody fairy tales. Girl wears a ribbon around her neck, boy falls for her, she refuses to answer any questions about the ribbon even as they fall deeper in love and marry, so one day he gets curious and pulls the ribbon to see what's underneath.
And her head comes clean off.
[He takes a big sip of the mead before putting the cup down and resting his chin in his hand, humming in contemplation.]
So it's a few things, I guess. She takes to manipulation like a second skin, to the point where I don't think it's even entirely false. Similar thing happened while we were working together in the bookshop, where she was all fragile and helpless, even hiding behind me, and then when I say as much that's when she gets all cold and angry and lifeless. When I nearly got scapegoated a couple weeks ago, she hid behind Zieks when I said she wasn't human and it'd be as simple as removing her ribbon to prove it, and she was entirely distraught before he was in front of her, and then she just had this glassy stare pointed at me.
I guarantee you, you accuse an actual human of being a demon, their reaction isn't going to be like hers was. My read on her is that she's something not human, be it demon or ghost or banshee or even robot, and she's wearing the appearance of a teenage girl. But she'd really like to keep living the lie, and is probably deathly afraid of what'll happen if that's taken from her. Which I do understand, honestly.
[Hope you enjoyed psych analysis with Professor Spike.]